What are the implications? This raises the possibility that less obvious elements of design can be protected by copyright, meaning that high fashion has a stronger defense against fast fashion replicas other than their logo trademark protection.

MILLENNIALS ARE SO OVER

Future-proofing your business requires examining how consumer demographics are changing. Articles on how millennial spending on experience over material possessions have affected bottom lines are abundant. But what about the future consumer? RetailDive explores the nuances of Generation Z, who are approximately 2.6 billion members strong worldwide with access to $44 billion in buying power. Those are impressive figures, and retailers shouldn't overlook this rising bloc of digitally-borne consumers.

ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES

Politics and fashion have never been mutually exclusive, and fashion's susceptibility to the wider political climate has never been more apparent. Business of Fashion sums up the current global situation very clearly in three easy reads:

2) On March 29, 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May signed the official notice triggering Article 50. With Brexit officially underway, UK's fashion industry worries about retaining a free trade agreement with the EU, the ease of trading with non-EU countries, the free movement of employees, and competitive tax to help local brands and retailers absorb the costs of Brexit.

3) China is at loggerheads with South Korea over the latter's decision to deploy the US-built Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. The Chinese government has since promoted boycotts of Korean products through state-run media, restricted Chinese tourist travel to South Korea and pressured Korean business operations in China to shut down. Such a blow certainly does not help South Korea's fashion and beauty industry, especially in the aftermath of ex-President Park Geun-hye's impeachment.

The fashion world is still holding its breath on how this strategy will turn out.

☀️ THIS WEEK'S BRIGHT SPOT ☀️

Here's a balm for fashion week withdrawals- the fact that fashion week season is not entirely over. Over the years, smaller (but no less grand) fashion weeks have sprung out in other capital cities and have introduced new global vibrancy in international markets. Yea we're talking about South Africa Fashion Week,Tokyo Fashion Week and Seoul Fashion Week, just to name a few.